latin america

China’s influence continues to spread closer to America’s borders, having now reached Central America. If the United States is not vigilant, it risks losing decades of democratic progress and carefully cultivated strategic...

Costa Rica is currently between the two rounds of its 2018 presidential elections, to be decided on Sunday, April 1. In an historic electoral cycle, the country’s traditional parties have been left out of the second round. Meanwhile, Mr. Fabricio Alvarado...

Before the turn of the 21st century, Chinese relations with Latin America were limited. However, since the 2008 financial crisis, China has pumped large amounts of aid and inter-governmental loans into Latin America. China has...

For the first time in Brazilian history, criminal charges have been brought against a sitting President. Chief Prosecutor Rodrigo Janot presented charges of passive corruption against President Michel Temer to the Supreme Court....

Rewriting national constitutions became a trademark of Latin America’s famous “Pink Tide,” or turn towards leftist governments. While this process was frequently seen by supporters as an attempt to give power back to the people,...

One of Colombia’s most iconic garments is the traditional vueltiao straw hat, which is weaved and worn throughout the coastal regions of the country. In recent years, however, Chinese-made replicas have flooded the Colombian...

Operation Lava Jato (Car Wash) started in Brazil as a small-scale operation in 2014. It focused on targeting money laundering operations that were using car washes as a front. The investigation grew in importance and attention as...

Headlines ripped through Brazilian news outlets last week on how President Michel Temer received millions of dollars in illicit payments and sought to obstruct an anticorruption campaign. This has shaken Brazilian markets and...

Earlier this year, I argued in Charged Affairs that successful implementation of Colombia’s peace deal with the FARC paramilitary group would serve US long-term strategic interests in the region. However, President Trump’s...

The world in 2017 is uncharted territory. A tide of shifting trends and events, the most unambiguous being the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States, promise to usher in a new era of unpredictability and...